AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
IND
Canada is expected to receive up to one million COVID-19 immunization doses per week from various drug makers from April 2021 onwards, announced Major General Dany Fortin, who is leading the country’s coronavirus vaccine logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada.
In an official briefing on Thursday, January 14, Major General Fortin added that by spring, Canada will move on to a wider vaccine rollout to public. In the first phase of the rollout, the inoculation was primarily carried out for vulnerable groups of people, such as elderlies, health care providers, etc.
The Canadian government has pre-booked over 400 million doses of vaccine from various vendors ahead of the first rollout. However, since the vaccination campaign kickstarted in the country on December 14, less than one per cent of the population is said to have received at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna shots.
The Major General outlined that the shipments of both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will touch 20 million total doses between April and the end of June.
As per estimates by Statistics Canada, the nation’s population in the fourth quarter 2020 was above 38 million. Going by Major General Fortin’s statement, Canada can expect over 39 million vaccine doses by the end of December 2021 (assuming the vaccine delivery starts from April 1).
©Kalkine Group 2020
Where Does Canada’s Covid Vaccination Campaign Stand?
Major General Fortin said on Thursday the Trudeau government is currently negotiating a delivery schedule for the pre-booked COVID vaccines as there has been a shortage in the first quarter.
He ensured, however, that from April, the inoculation campaign will enter a "ramp-up phase".
Canada recently secured an additional 20 million of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine doses, bringing the total shots from this pharmaceutical giant to an even 40 million. The country is allowed to access up to 76 million additional doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, as per their contract. The first batch of these additional 20 million shots are expected to arrive in April at the earliest.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, January 12, said that Canada will receive 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 as per government’s contracts with Moderna and Pfizer.
Meanwhile, national health regulator Health Canada is currently evaluating Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca-Oxford Universities' vaccine candidates for approval.
